The RanDumb Adventures of an Irish Guy in LA!

Hello, Small Talk, Goodbye. Hello Again!

Today has been spent taking care of annoying little errands, in preparation for tomorrow. Which I achieved, surprisingly, with immense efficiency. All went to plan. Big day tomorrow. I’ll give you a clue… starts with v, ends with ah. I and agra in the middle. A new batch is being delivered in the morning, hopefully. As I managed to take out my bundle of small tasks so well, I had plenty of time to notice small, innocuous, pointless, yet interesting little things. Wuu. Such as…

The wonder of small talk.

I can’t figure out if I am just not a fan of it. Or if I am just horrendous at it. Oddly, I am probably better at it with people I don’t know. With people I do know, I seem to answer questions with irrelevant questions of my own? And end up with a nice pause of silence, wondering if the ball is in my court, or theirs. Other times, I might say something, which is misconstrued by the other person, and something is said back to me that is racist or fascist. And they are waiting to hear me agree with them. Not too sure how that happens. It does though, a lot.

Earlier today I ran into someone that I used to go to secondary school with. It has been a few years since I have seen him, so plenty of small talk was built up. Flowed nicely, somehow ended up talking about German people’s love of bicycles and I think I managed to change the subject nicely before it went down the Nazi route. Most importantly, it ended nicely, wrapped up with a bow, good seeing you. Off we went, our separate ways, me to buy tea-bags, him to look for a job. As I walked back through the shopping centre with my tea bags, I ran into the same guy outside the post office. Another hello, you again, following me around, see ya later. Round two of small talk.

Post office over, although I’ll come back to that, leaving, once again, I bump into the same guy outside. Who is now talking with another guy that we were in school with. Round three of small talk, but this time, trying to vary up the same stories of what are you up to, so not to bore the first guy with the same info. I tend to over-think things a tad. Although, if someone tells me a story, and then I hear them telling someone else the same story, almost word for word the exact same, I always find it odd. Just to note, I think both guys are sound, but small talk re-hashed is the point I am trying to make. Perhaps it is just me that is not a fan of the small talk system. Hi, small talk, goodbye. Then bumping into the person again a few minutes later. Say goodbye again. Then you meet them again. And say a final goodbye. Three goodbyes?! A flawed system. Or a flawed me.

Back to the post office. Have you ever been in a queue in the post office, get to the top, not fully prepared, buying envelopes to stuff tea bags into, must write the name and address on the envelope too, so you’re told to go to the side, fill out the form, then come back up to the window again when you are done. Don’t queue up again, you’re told, just come straight back over when you’re ready. So, you fill out the form, stuff in the tea-bags, put on the stamp, then go back over to the window, but someone else is there. You’ll just have to wait. To the side of the top of the queue. Like someone who is trying to skip ahead.

As the queue has been puttering along while you’ve been off to the side filling out forms, a new batch of people have arrived at the top of the queue. And are now giving you dirty looks. Thinking you have skipped. Moaning. They were here first. Murmurs filtering through to the people at the very back of the queue who just arrived. Who’s that guy at the top sticking out like a sore thumb. Why is he not queuing up like us? Making you think you’ve done something wrong. Did I skip the queue? Should I go back and queue again? No. Let them moan.

Post offices are not really a good environment for a scuffle. Especially with a woman. Who looks like a man. And, I would be fairly confident that she would have won as well. Presuming, obviously, she took off her gold hoopy earrings first. I was giving her my sheepish smile, trying to shuffle over and point at the window that I was told to come back to. The same window she had her eye on. Telling her half heartedly, I was here already, told to come back. She didn’t care. Gave her a thumbs up to appease her. Did not go down well. My thumbs up are never appreciated. Defiantly telling the stranger behind her that she is next, no matter what, f*@k him. When the window was free, she decided to make a run for it, dashing in. However, seeing as I had left a good impression with the girl behind the counter, giving her the spare tea bags that wouldn’t fit into my envelope, she called me through instead. My sheepish smile might have turned into a big, dumb, I told you so smile, but I can never be fully sure.

Speaking of fun, pointless, irrelevant stories, a fly just flew into my laptop screen and died. Strange enough. Must have something to do with this rambling gibberish blogaruu. A sign perhaps. In my defense, viva la visa appointment is taking place early tomorrow. A few nerves are kicking in from the unknown factor. Might take a few viagra to settle them down. Time to shine. Big day, songs on! Believe!!!